Reaction to Final Recommendations of the Premier's Advisory Council on Government Assets

Backgrounder

Reaction to Final Recommendations of the Premier's Advisory Council on Government Assets

Here's what people are saying about the final recommendations from the Premier's Advisory Council on Government Assets:

"This is a game changer. The government's approach will alter the future for Ontario's craft breweries, opening the door to increased sales, expanded growth and the creation of new jobs. We expect today's announcement will mean a doubling of craft market share and the addition of 1,000 to 2,000 new brewery jobs in communities of all sizes and from all parts of the province."

"Beau's is located in a small village in Eastern Ontario. By improving access to customers we could easily add 50 to 100 jobs in our town of 1,800."

-- Steve Beauchesne, Co-founder, Beau's All Natural Brewing Company

"Greater access to consumers and stability in our relationship with The Beer Store will make it possible for us to plan for, and invest in, future growth with confidence. There is much detail that still has to be filled in, but the direction is an extraordinary step forward and we could well see a doubling of industry jobs in the next three to five years."

-- Irvine Weitzman, President, Mill Street Brewery

"Improved retail access will have a major positive impact on our business. With the ability to get our product in front of more customers across the province, we'll be able to grow our sales and invest more in our business, which will have significant spinoff benefits for our suppliers, our customers and our local community. We currently employ 45 people, and with the right retail environment, we could easily double or triple that number over the coming years."

-- Darren Smith, President, Lake of Bays Brewing Company

"We are pleased that the council has listened to our concerns throughout this process. Given the good relationship to date, we have confidence in the council's continued commitment to work with MADD to ensure that beer is introduced to grocery stores in a socially responsible way."

-- Andrew Murie, CEO, MADD Canada

"CivicAction is pleased to see investment in transportation getting the priority it deserves in the government's bottom line. We see this as the next step in an historic series of dedicated, long-term investments that will get residents and business across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area moving."

-- Sevaun Palvetzian, CEO, CivicAction

"The Wynne government has taken a brave stance by unlocking the value of assets. Ontario taxpayers and consumers have spent billions accumulating government business assets over the years. While some of these legacy assets made sense being in government hands at one time, there is merit in assessing whether the value of these assets can be unlocked and redirected to infrastructure investment. The Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario (RCCAO) commends the province for moving forward on an issue which is long overdue: determining whether capital assets held or controlled by the province can be leveraged in order to provide better returns to taxpayers."

"Today's announcement is part of a set of far-reaching proposals by the government with the potential to better serve Ontario consumers. The Consumers Council of Canada shares the government's conviction that improvements should be made at the Ontario Energy Board to ensure retail ratepayers are heard and better represented. It's a good start to make consumers safer on their doorsteps by addressing energy retailer door-to-door sales. The Consumers Council will work diligently with the government based on a shared commitment to implement reform that serves Ontario's consumers and strengthens the Consumers Council's capacity and role at the Ontario Energy Board and in helping consumers navigate a marketplace impacted by climate change."

-- Aubrey LeBlanc, President, Consumers Council of Canada

"The Power Workers' Union welcomes and supports the decision by government to keep Hydro One whole in an IPO process that would, in partnership with government, broaden the ownership structure in Hydro One. This will position the company to grow and provide further high-skill quality jobs for Ontarians."

-- Don MacKinnon, President, Power Workers' Union

"Together, the merger of these three strong-performing utilities with Hydro One Brampton will create the second-largest electricity distributor in Ontario by number of customers. The merged entity will deliver efficiencies and economies of scale while continuing to provide safe, reliable and clean electricity. We also anticipate this will reduce upward pressure on distribution rates."

-- Brian Bentz, President and CEO, PowerStream

"We welcome the merger of these four strong-performing utilities. By coming together, the utilities will have an opportunity to provide better customer service and introduce new customer-focused technologies at a lower cost to ratepayers."

-- Maurizio Bevilacqua, Mayor of Vaughan

"We are pleased to hear about the merger of Hydro One Brampton with Enersource, PowerStream and Horizon Utilities. Barrie residential customers saw a reduction of almost $8.00 per month in their distribution rates as a direct result of the merger of Barrie Hydro and PowerStream."

-- Jeff Lehman, Mayor of Barrie

"Our shareholder communities will benefit from greater revenues as a result of this merger. This will lower pressure for tax increases and provide more resources for municipal programs."

-- Bonnie Crombie, Mayor of Mississauga

"We need to continue to find ways to be efficient and keep rates affordable. Horizon Utilities is already a merger of several former municipal utilities, and customers have benefited from the consolidation. While negotiations are ongoing, based on past experience, the coming together of Horizon Utilities with Enersource, Hydro One Brampton and PowerStream has the potential to have benefits for municipal dividends, rates and the long-term value of hydro utilities."

-- Fred Eisenberger, Mayor of Hamilton

"Consolidation has been at the heart of PowerStream's success in establishing itself as one of Ontario's leading energy companies. PowerStream's initial merger and subsequent consolidations have enabled the company to better serve Markham customers as well as those in other communities. We firmly believe the merger of the four local distribution companies will drive additional efficiencies that will achieve even greater benefits for customers in the future."